Over the past several weeks you have had the opportunity to become familiar with cultural encounters that took place on the Indian subcontinent and across the Atlantic world: the encounter between Europeans and indigenous American cultures; the interactions between Europeans, Muslims, Hindus and Farsi in Mughal India; Europeans and Africans in the Atlantic world; and even the early efforts of the Chinese to explore the Indian Ocean. Choose one of these encounters and write an essay in which you explain how the encounter shaped the area or region in which it occurred. For source materials you must use the readings on your chosen encounter that appear in the syllabus for the course. You should organize your essay by looking at the influence of the encounter you choose to examine in terms of its political, social, cultural and economic impacts. Your essay should be three pages in length, typed and double-spaced. You should also use standard margins, and 12 pt. Courier or Times New Roman font. In addition, you must document what you write with footnotes. For more on footnoting and some tips on writing historical essays, see the general guidelines for writing section of the course syllabus.

Good Luck!

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